INTERNET

Just after hacker collective LulzSec threw in the towel, granting internet users a brief interlude of peace of mind, a new malicious botnet has been discovered.

Reports from Chinese Internet users and publications have revealed that Google's new social networking Google+ service is currently available in China, indicating that the earlier reports that China had blocked the service were either premature or outright false.

Search giant Google's new Google+ service is set to contain third-party developed games and apps similar to those currently found on Facebook.

After years of repression, intimidation and exploitation, regimes in the Middle East and North Africa became aware they risked being forced out by the people they oppressed.

Google's new Google+ social network is currently only available to an exclusively small group of users but the new social network is already hitting the headlines.

Andy Hertzfeld, who has been working at Google since 2005, is responsible for the interface on Google+, and was given the opportunity to be the main design lead on the project.

Despite the fact that Google+ has only been available for about a day,the Chinese government has already blocked the social network, which they perceive to be another threat to state-managed media.

Just a day after its limited release, China swiftly decided to block Google+, highlighting once again the country's strict censorship practices.

Newscorp have long been known to be ready to sell the struggling site and the sale price was just 6% of the $580m (£360m) it paid for the then biggest name in social media in 2004 - and was well short of the $100m (£62m) it was reportedly looking for.

Hacktivist group Anonymous today posted the names of 2800 of the right-wing Columbian Black Eagles Special Police Unit's members online, the published data has been credited as part of it and LulzSec's ongoing Operation Anti-Security.

While LulzSec continues its Operation Anti-Security campaign against the world, rival group Team Poison has issued a statement promising to unmask LulzSec's members.

With LulzSec having just released a fresh batch of material taken from Arizona law enforcement, its website has gone offline, leading many to question whether in the midst of its Operation Anti-Security rampage, LulzSec may itself have fallen victim to hackers.

The hotel-chain Travelodge today released a letter to its customers revealing that a recent hack on its networks may have granted hackers access to their credit card details.

A lawsuit filed this week has revealed that a fortnight before the initial hack on Sony's PlayStation Network, the company fired several employees of the unit responsible for its network security.

Nearly a month after Sony's PlayStation Network service restarted, the service is still down in Japan, with a recent news update giving no clear date when the PSN service will resume.

The hacking collective LulzSec has openly denied its involvement in any of the alleged "Ryan Cleary revenge attacks" recently reported in the media.

LulzSec last night broke its silence, claiming responsibility for successful hacks on U.S. Arizona law enforcement, the attack is the latest cyber raid carried out in the name of the group's ongoing Operation Anti-Security campaign.

Since the arrest and court appearance of alleged LulzSec hacker Ryan Cleary, despite its claims that he is not a member, LulzSec's Operation Anti-Security hacking rampage has slowed down, with the collective taking on a more aggressive, ominous tone, promising to unveil the results of its first assault this Friday.

In a video released on Sony's website, Harry Potter author JK Rowling unveiled the new Pottermore online experience.

Upon hearing that British police have charged Ryan Cleary for involvement in numerous cyber attacks and hacks, hacker collective LulzSec has released a fresh barrage of tweets maintaining that the 19-year-old is in no way connected to it.

A former key player in the creation and launch all three versions of Sony's PlayStation 3 consoles has predicted that in just ten-years iPhone and iPad maker Apple will own the world's games industry.

In an interview with IndustryGamers Microsoft's interactive entertainment business COO and CFO Dennis Durkin reiterated his belief that Sony's PSN hacking plight has led to a united games industry ready to work together in its efforts to combat the world's growing cyber threat.

Police have launched a new database of shared information just as the global hacking pandemic reaches critical mass through LulzSec and Anonymous Operation Anti-Security, leading to concerns over the new system's cyber security.

The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) today launched its new Police National Database.

The Metropolitan Police last night confirmed that the alleged LulzSec hacker Ryan Cleary has been charged with offences contrary to Computer Misuse Act.

The virtual Bitcoin currency will recover from the recent hack attack that caused its share value to drop to near zero, says Bitcoin Senior Developer Gavin Andresen.

Since suspected LulzSec member Ryan Cleary's arrest the hacker collective has been uncharacteristically quiet and moody, even going so far as to release the names and addresses of two hackers it suspects of leaking its private chat logs to the police.

The suspected LulzSec member Ryan Cleary, if found to have taken part in LulzSec's attacks on the U.S., could face up to ten years in jail.

The hacker collective LulzSec has posted the names, addresses of two hackers suspected of leaking its chat logs.